II. Biochemical Investigations

[摘要] The urinary porphyrin excretion of the patient (Part I) has been examined. Methods for determination of the various porphyrin fractions have also been compared and critically assessed. A thin-layer chromatographic technique was found to be rapid, discriminating, and precise. Of solvent-extraction procedures, that of Rimington and Benson for the determination of urinary "X" porphyrins gives results that compare well with those obtained by the quantitative chromatographic procedure. The patient excreted relatively large amounts of uroporphyrin, heptacarboxylic porphyrin, and "X" porphyrins. In addition, the hydroxycoproporphyrins 1 and 2 of Elder were present in the ether-soluble fraction of her urine in relatively large quantities during the period when the patient was severely ill. Her fecal porphyrins were not markedly increased. The porphyria exhibited by this case of Felty’s syndrome resembled the characteristic pattern of symptomatic porphyria, usually associated with alcoholism, but in this case other factors must be considered because this patient was a life-long abstainer from alcohol.

[学科分类] 过敏症与临床免疫学